IN JUST 10 MONTHS...

IT'LL BE CHRISTMAS AGAIN

I know, I know. I just wiped out Spring, Summer and Fall.

One positive increase in Maui County. Our humpback whale census has dramatically increased. If only they could use major credit cards.

"No Country For Old Men" was last night's big winner, wasn't it?

So, having a cat just might reduce the risk of having a heart attack or stroke?

"Here kitty, kitty. Come here, Bear."

Obviously, the Olde e-Mail Bag was empty again.

Let's see. G H W Bush was elected in 1988. W J Clinton in 1992 and 1996. G W Bush in 2000 and 2004. If H R Clinton wins in November, that'll be 2 decades of a Bush or a Clinton in charge. Somebody want to call "central casting"?

I hope everyone has a fantastic new week.

Mahalo

Aloha

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THE PICTURE GALLERY

***

Over The Limit?
UNDER ARREST!
Please don't drink and drive

"Let's all be careful out there!"

PRIMEVAL

THE ITV-1 TV SERIES

This British TV series started last year. It is on opposite BBC's "Dr. Who".

It hasn't, as far as I know, been aired in the USA. I've been wanting to see it and finally found a site where I can.

This is episode 1 from the first season:



"Right click" and choose "full screen".

If you would like to see more, just click this link.

It runs just about 48 minutes. The pretty blonde girl is Hannah Spearritt, a former member of the defunct pop group S Club 7.

***

So, who do you think will take the Oscars this year?

The 2008 Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled to take place on Sunday, February 24, 2008, 8pm on ABC and to be held at the Los Angeles’ Kodak Theater.

THE 2008 OSCAR NOMINEES

BEST PICTURE
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

BEST ACTOR
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises

BEST ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie, Away From Her
Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose
Laura Linney, The Savages
Ellen Page, Juno

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson’s War
Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, I’m Not There
Ruby Dee, American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

BEST DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Jason Reitman, Juno
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Brad Bird, Ratatouille
Diablo Cody, Juno
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Tamara Jenkins, The Savages
Nancy Oliver, Lars and the Real Girl

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Christopher Hampton, Atonement
Ronald Harwood, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Sarah Polley, Away From Her

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Persepolis
Ratatouille
Surf’s Up

BEST ART DIRECTION
American Gangster
Atonement
The Golden Compass
Sweeney Todd
There Will Be Blood

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Assassination of Jesse James…
Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Across the Universe
Atonement
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
La Vie en Rose
Sweeney Todd

BEST DOCUMENTARY
No End in Sight
Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience
Sicko
Taxi to the Dark Side
War/Dance

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
Freeheld
La Corona (The Crown)
Salim Baba
Sari’s Mother

BEST EDITING
The Bourne Ultimatum
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into the Wild
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
Beaufort (Israel)
The Counterfeiters (Austria)
Katyn (Poland)
Mongol (Kazakhstan)
12 (Russia)

BEST MAKEUP
La Vie en Rose
Norbit
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Atonement
The Kite Runner
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
3:10 to Yuma

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
”Falling Slowly,” Once
”Happy Working Song,” Enchanted
”Raise It Up,” August Rush
”So Close,” Enchanted
”That’s How You Know,” Enchanted

BEST SOUND EDITING
The Bourne Ultimatum
No Country for Old Men
Ratatouille
There Will Be Blood
Transformers

BEST SOUND MIXING
The Bourne Ultimatum
No Country for Old Men
Ratatouille
3:10 to Yuma
Transformers

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
The Golden Compass
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
Transformers

BEST ANIMATED SHORT
I Met the Walrus
Madame Tutli-Putli
Meme Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)
My Love (Moya Lyubov)
Peter & the Wolf

BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT
At Night
Il Supplente (The Substitute)
Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)
Tanghi Argentini
The Tonto Woman

We'll know in less than 24 hours.

***

Thanks for dropping by. Are there any questions about Hawai'i or Mau'i that you would like answered? Post them in the "Talk Story" and I'll do my best to find an answer. I hope you can show up again tomorrow. As always:

Mahalo

Aloha

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THE PICTURE GALLERY

***

Over The Limit?
UNDER ARREST!
Please don't drink and drive

"Let's all be careful out there!"

A QUICK "HI"...

AND A HUGE THANK YOU!

Didn't do much today. Stayed up until late afternoon before taking a short nap. Starting to readjust to being a "day" person for the future. Even took a walk, after sunset, down to the ABC Store at Kam I. I haven't done any major walking since I started driving a cab.

I want to thank everyone for the comments here and the e-mails. Also, the phone calls from local residents. Gave me a very positive feeling. I didn't truly fathom the "reach" this blog has. WOW!

I spent a portion of my waking hours gleaning new pic for the blog and have the rest of this month covered. The rainbows and sunsets are the hardest. Not that there aren't plenty of them available, just the question of whether I've used them before. After a while, they all begin to look alike.

Can't even raid the e-mail box, since nothing usable came in.

I hope everyone enjoys their weekend and, as always, I'll have some more images tomorrow. Maybe some passable commentary as well.

Have a great day!

Mahalo

Aloha

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THE PICTURE GALLERY

***

Over The Limit?
UNDER ARREST!
Please don't drink and drive

"Let's all be careful out there!"

ONE DOOR CLOSES

AND ANOTHER ONE OPENS
thanks, DB

The Grand Wailea has a non-disclosure agreement that all its employees are required to sign. When I made a post about Oprah being here in June of '06, before Larry bought the cab company, the management at the Grand went ballistic. Problem for them was that I wasn't an employee of the Grand Wailea and not even an employee of Royal Sedan and Taxi Service. I was an independent contractor leasing a cab from Royal. Art Pidot, the old owner, had ignored the Grand and only once gave me a hard time about this blog. As soon as Larry took over, the pressure mounted to force me to stop writing. At least once a month I would be told that he would be a lot happier if my blog didn't exist. Not so veiled threats to stop or lose my lease. Obviously, he didn't get his way but I did my best to compromise. I removed the ad I had placed for Royal Cab in the sidebar and also refrained from mentioning the Grand, by name, in the blog. Instead, I would still talk about the fares and only mention that the pick-up or drop-off was "in Wailea". I referred to all the other resorts, by name, just not the Grand.

The "brains" of the company are held by his wife, Darcy. A very sweet lady who understands business. Larry is just an overgrown kid, albeit 50+ years old, who is subject to the stereotype of being a California car lover. His greatest concern was what type of wheel covers a vehicle had or how ugly a cab's color was. Ask for something to be repaired and it was next to impossible to get it done, because it wasn't high on his priority list. He moved to Mau'i with the idea that all would be "fun'n'games".

As time passed, the other drivers were being hyper-critical but I would try and explain that Larry was still thinking "mainland" styl e. Which, as my long-time readers know, just doesn't work here. That eventually he would come around as the island's way of business finally beat him over the head often enough.

I finally gave up the night I went by his home to drop off my trip sheets and money. Spoke with Darcy first and then Larry appeared. Enveloped in a blue haze of marijuana. Totally stoned. The odor waifing from him so strong that I thought that I would get a contact high from the proximity. Thats when other actions on his part began to make sense. Conversations that he couldn't keep pace with. Failure to follow up on requests by drivers. Multiple requests to fix things like brakes and transmissions being delayed for months. Radios that needed attention.

He also had a problem with keeping internal affairs to himself.

We had an incident where one driver, "Lucky", used the "N" word to a regular customer when referring to another driver. While offensive, it isn't illegal. That customer told Maui Jim, the driver that "Lucky" had spoken about, what was said. All shit hit the fan. And Larry talked to damn near every driver about what he should do. Unable to make a decision on his own. Definitely "leadership" material.

Right after taking over Larry made the statement that any driver who received a speeding ticket for more than 20 MPH would be released. Just recently, he was nailed for 73 MPH in a 40 MPH zone. This is going to cost him. 30+ over the limit is a mandatory loss of license, 2 days in jail and a very hefty fine. Like most pot heads, he has trouble dealing with reality and accepting responsibility for his actions. And is probably a scary ride as well. Would you want to ride with a pot-head?

Drug testing is not a license requirement for a taxicab drivers permit on Mau'i. Probably because 30-40% of the people who live here are stoners. Which is just about the same percentage as the drivers I have met, in Royal and other companies. Or they are functioning alcoholics. Doesn't that make you feel safe? A few years back, I actually had the owner of another, now defunct, cab company arrested (and convicted) twice for DUI in a 6-month period. Call me crazy, but I think the public has the right to expect their cab driver to be more sober than the passengers.

Cannabis use also causes short-term memory loss. Not just while its being consumed but, especially with habitual users, even when they consider themselves straight. Maybe the Grand should require drug testing of the drivers provided by contract. They already require it of their hired staff. That would rock a lot of people.

***

So, what am I going to do? Well, I called another driver, who used to work for Royal, and the company he is with now has some cabs available for lease. $40 a day / $280 a week and I would buy my own gas. I would also have the cab 24/7 and could set my own hours. I am not saying it is going to be easy but being forced to cover the Grand when there was no business wasn't making sense either. Being totally independent means I can go to where the business is on the island. Working the "hot" spots and being able to go home when there is no activity. I am looking forward to the change.

So, bear with me as I make the transition, but the quality of the stories should improve as my client base increases.

I'll be back tomorrow, if only to just say "Hi". See you then.

Oh, if you want to send Larry Payne an e-mail, just click

larpay@hawaii.rr.com

Or, you can contact the Grand Wailea by clicking here.

Mahalo

Aloha

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THE PICTURE GALLERY

***

Over The Limit?
UNDER ARREST!
Please don't drink and drive

"Let's all be careful out there!"

WELL, I AM OUT OF WORK

BUT NOT FOR LONG

Woke up today to find this in my inbox:

Will,

I don't think you can see good enough to drive for us anymore. I've been concerned about this for a long time. Your attitude doesn't help either. You expect us to repair or junk everything you drive.

Good Luck,

I've already contacted another company and should be back on the road within 48 hours. Now I will have the whole island as my territory, rather than being confined to just the Grand Wailea.

Of course, I am going to have to become a "day" person and work more hours, but they won't include the dog-watch any longer. And I'll have a cab 24/7. Its a move that I've been contemplating for a while but couldn't mention here.

I am working on my parting post. Check back tomorrow, when I tell all the things that I have kept secret.

Then we'll learn about "attitude".

Oh, this is the first time I've ever been fired by an e-mail. 21st Century technology. LOL!

Over The Limit?
UNDER ARREST!
Please don't drink and drive

"Let's all be careful out there!"

GOOD NEWS / BAD NEWS

I CAN'T SEEM TO WIN FOR LOSING

Its starting to show some blue in the sky as I leave for work. Pretty soon I am going to have to be enduring daylight at both ends of my shift. I hate daylight but I love sunsets. I wonder where I put my sunglasses?


My sweetheart and angel, Alissa (a/k/a/ "Wiskers"), will be arriving on April 10th. Its been over a year since I last saw her. She's been to New Zealand, Germany and Greece since then.

We only had 3 night cabs and we never were rushed. Perfect blend. Again, I managed at least one fare per hour and never left town. Only a couple of decent runs, yet the meter steadily grew. the typical in-town fares with an even mix of tourists and residents.

My second longest run of the night was a bar-close from the "Triangle" to The Prince. A young couple from Bozeman, Montana, USA. Along the journey, as we passing the Kea Lani, I told them to keep a sharp eye out for deer. TMR had advised earlier that for the first time this year, the deer had again migrated into the Wailea and Makena areas. We didn't see any. Dropped them off and as I was approaching the south end of the Makena Surf area, a damn doe leapt out in front of me. I hit the brakes at almost the same instant I struck her. She rolled up onto the hood of the cab and then rolled off to the curb. Where she tumbled for a short distance. The last I saw of her was as she ran towards the ocean, the direction she had been heading originally. She wasn't using her left front leg.

As I found out 18 months ago, when I hit that stag, MPD does not respond to vehicle vs deer collisions unless a human is injured. Dented the right front quarter panel, rippled the hood and shoved the grill back. No damage to the radiator and all the lights worked, except the right front turn signal. The speed limit on that stretch of road is 30 MPH, but I was doing less. I was actually trying to spot some deer to take a picture of. I was doing, at the most, 25 MPH when the deer actually overtook me from the right and crossed in front of me on a diagonal path.

A short while later, as I was getting the phone from TMR, he said that he was going to nickname me "Jupiter". After my puzzled look he explained that I am like that gas giant in our solar system. I seem to draw all the worst case events to me like a magnet or a gigantic gravity well. Need a victim? Just take a number and Wil will be with you shortly. I've had a passenger take a shot a pistol at me, a passenger's angry boyfriend ram my cab, etc. I've checked but I can't find a bulls-eye anywhere on me and yet...

12 fares / 120 miles / 3rd quarter $100 bracket

#14 is crinkled but looks a lot better than ONE-NINE did after that guy who ran the STOP sign T-boned me last December. It is totally driveable and there was no other damage than the sheet metal.

And life goes on.

We should have a decent night again. Thursdays are normally a bit more "up-beat" than Tuesdays and Wednesdays. We'll have 4 drivers on, which should be just about right. Hope to see you again tomorrow.

Mahalo

Aloha

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THE PICTURE GALLERY

***

Over The Limit?
UNDER ARREST!
Please don't drink and drive

"Let's all be careful out there!"